Anonymous wrote:I have never seen a house with the garage level with the bedroom floor and over top of the floor of the kitchen, dining room, and living room. How messed up is that?

I knew a house via friends who owned it at the time, a 1920s stone house built against a steep hillside. The garage was on the third level, I kid you not. It was effectively a split level but pointing towards the street with an alley at the top of the lot, so you entered the garage from the alley at the top of the house. Sounds very awkward, and it was, with the kitchen on a different level than the living room. It was, however, a beautiful house.

I think the lot would be a great candidate for an “upside down” floorplan. You could have the entrance and the living spaces on the second level, closer to street level but opening to the view in the back, and the bedrooms on the ground floor.

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen a house with the garage level with the bedroom floor and over top of the floor of the kitchen, dining room, and living room. How messed up is that?

Well, it’s because of the slope.

That kitchen is what I would expect in an 800k home in Fairfax.
I think this post is a joke.

That is a nice lot but that house sucks. Maybe clicks for compass?

I have never seen a house with the garage level with the bedroom floor and over top of the floor of the kitchen, dining room, and living room. How messed up is that?

Anonymous wrote:Needs work, but I would not tear it down. Needs a tasteful update. $$$$$

I don’t think any of the issues are cosmetic.

The biggest issues are:
1) difficult/unappealing entry from the street
2) the backyard is vast but very steep. Great sense of space but not good for play or entertaining.
3) the kitchen is dug into the hillside under the garage. It is dark and cave like.
4) the overall size of the house is on the small side

I still like it! But I don’t think any of the issues can be solved with an “update” of any kind.

Needs work, but I would not tear it down. Needs a tasteful update. $$$$$

Anonymous wrote:It needs a ton of work. Also I sense that it was in bad shape or had extremely dated, old finishes prior to listing, and they did a "light lift" by painting everything white and removing a lot of the furnishings. My concern there is that the failure to update things like the kitchen layout, flooring, the baseboard heating, reflects some overall neglect that may extend to the roof and major systems. With cost of contractors these days, getting this place updated is going to cost $$$ and the price still needs to come down to reflect that, even with the acreage and the lovely exterior and grounds.

I'm guessing this is mom and dad's house and it's being sold after they passed for inheritance. Probably hasn't been properly looked after in at least 20 years.

I do not have the benefit of seeing this house in person but I know my way around older properties. I do not see anything in the listing photos that sends out warning vibes. Nothing. I do see some cosmetic improvements needed but that's desired rather than required. The kitchen is perfectly fine, but yes, at that price level today's buyers would want a different and more updated kitchen. If I was in the market I'd definitely have a proper inspection, but there's nothing otherwise to suggest major structural problems. Only cosmetic.

The house is not as big as it looks, it's only three bedrooms upstairs and that tells you something. It was designed to look bigger than it really is, being long and thin and angled. The upper level garage is awkward as is the kitchen location. When the house was built, the kitchen was designed for use by a cook/maid and not integrated into the family life of the house. It's hard to reconfigure the layout when there's not much room to work with without building outwards (which would cost $$$). At the higher price level and initial listing price, buyers have plenty of options for larger houses that work better with today's lifestyle. This needs a different kind of buyer.

It’s cute and has potential.

Why no photos of the rest of the exterior?

I love it - and the property, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it. You tear down people are nuts. With a few minor cosmetic updates inside (mirrored walls would be first to go), I could move in happily as is.

But the kitchen is under the garage! It’s a literal cave. You want to cook all your food in a basement?

Plus the winter is the wrong time to sell a house with that street entrance. It looks treacherous.

The kitchen isn’t in the basement, that’s the main level of the house.

Looks like there are 2 kitchens. One is in the badement as part of an in-law suite. Would somerset allow you to turn it into an adu?

No, it is under the garage. It’s built into the hillside. Look at the floorplans or street view. The garage is on the second level of the house (street level). The main level of the house is down from there.

I think you’re talking about a different thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it. You tear down people are nuts. With a few minor cosmetic updates inside (mirrored walls would be first to go), I could move in happily as is.

But the kitchen is under the garage! It’s a literal cave. You want to cook all your food in a basement?

Plus the winter is the wrong time to sell a house with that street entrance. It looks treacherous.

The kitchen isn’t in the basement, that’s the main level of the house.

Looks like there are 2 kitchens. One is in the badement as part of an in-law suite. Would somerset allow you to turn it into an adu?